


home is where you go when you’re alone

by suzukiblu



Series: Avamorphs [7]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Codependency, Consensual Mind Control, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Yeerks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24705139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzukiblu/pseuds/suzukiblu
Summary: They make it to Lee’s house without trouble and with time to spare, and Zuko exhales in relief.
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Avamorphs [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1581343
Comments: 20
Kudos: 292





	home is where you go when you’re alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Redrikki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/gifts).



> Written for redrikki, who wanted a bit more of one of my old Avatar AUs from my LJ days. I had my choice of three and I picked this one, since it was the one I'd worked on most recently. Also the rest of it was conveniently already over here, haha. 
> 
> Got some of the idea for this installment from a comment from DevilAngel657 on the last one.

They make it to Lee’s house without trouble and with time to spare, and Zuko exhales in relief. 

“We’re here,” he says into the phone. 

“Yeah, I see you,” Lee says, and Zuko catches a glimpse of him at the window before the curtain closes. “Back door’s unlocked.” 

“The back door is unlocked,” Zuko informs the Andalite and the humans, and the leader nods. The sister glares at him, but that’s all she’s been doing the whole way here, so that's to be expected. 

"You go first," she says, presumably expecting a trap. Zuko sighs. 

“Fine,” he says. They head around the back of the house, where the door is in fact unlocked, and Zuko steps inside. Lee is right there and immediately grabs his face and looks him over. 

“You’re okay, right?” he asks. 

“We were on the phone the whole time,” Zuko says, holding it up. He hasn’t even hung up yet. “Nothing happened.” 

“Still.” Lee gives him a searching look, then steps back. Zuko thinks he’s . . . pleased? Flattered? 

It’s nice to know Lee worries. That’s all. 

“Where’s everybody else?” the leader says as he locks the door behind them. 

< Well, I’m here, > the brother says, stepping out from behind Lee and scratching at one of his ears. < Toph’s in the living room and Suki’s in the basement checking out the pool. >

“You should’ve stayed together,” the sister says, frowning. “What if he’d tried something?”

< Then you would’ve heard everything? > The brother gives a canine shrug. < And I’d have bitten him to all freaking hell. >

_“Sokka,”_ she says in frustration. 

“Where is the pool?” the Andalite says, though the sharpness of its tone is somewhat ruined by the following, “Ooool.” 

“This way,” Zuko says, gesturing towards the basement door. The brother leaves, presumably to retrieve the youngest female, and the rest of them head downstairs. The brother’s mate is standing over the pool and looking down at it, an odd expression on her face. Without Lee’s memories to rely on, Zuko can’t quite place it. 

“Hey,” she says. 

“Everything okay?” the leader asks. 

“Just weird,” the brother’s mate says. “I’ve never seen an empty Yeerk pool before.” 

“It’s not going to be empty very long,” Zuko says as he returns the leader’s phone. He heads over to check and make sure everything’s functioning properly, and the brother’s mate steps aside warily. 

“How long do you have left in morph?” Lee asks. The Andalite looks around, then begins to demorph. Zuko supposes it doesn’t want stuck as a human any more than he does. 

< The Yeerk has twenty-two minutes before it will be trapped, > the Andalite says grudgingly as its human mouth melts away. < I still think this is dangerous, Prince Aang. >

“We know it’s dangerous,” the leader says uncomfortably, looking at the pool. Most of them are, now. The basement door opens and the brother and the youngest female make their way down the stairs. 

“Fed Slimer yet?” she asks. 

“No,” the brother’s mate says. “He hasn’t demorphed yet.” 

“The pool is functional,” Zuko says, glancing it over one last time before starting to undress. No point in soaking Lee’s spare clothing, he thinks. 

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” the sister says. 

“How long do you need in the pool before you can, uh . . .” The leader trails off, and Zuko assumes the rest of that sentence was “reinfest Lee”. 

“I’ll be quick,” he says. “Lee knows how long it takes. We’ll be done long before Jee Five Three Three returns.” 

“Okay,” the leader says. The sister glares at him again. Zuko looks at Lee, just for a moment, and Lee steps forward and grabs his hand to squeeze it. It still feels strange to have it be his own hand. 

“I won’t let them hurt you,” Lee promises. 

“I was more concerned about you getting _yourself_ hurt,” Zuko says with a sigh, because his host excels at that. Lee snorts. 

“We’re not going to hurt Lee,” the leader says. 

< Like, not if he doesn’t make us, > the brother says. The youngest female smirks, punching the palm of her hand. 

“Guys . . .” The leader grimaces at them. 

< What, we’re just being honest. >

< The Yeerk will not be able to communicate with us once it demorphs, > the Andalite says. < If there is any further questioning to be done . . . >

“I don’t think so,” the leader says. “Not anything we can’t ask Lee, anyway.” 

“I’m not telling you anything,” Lee says. 

“Lee . . .” The leader trails off again, looking troubled. “You’re our friend.” 

“Nope. That was all Zuko,” Lee says. “And you almost _killed_ him for it.” 

< We may yet, > the Andalite says icily. Lee glares at it. 

“Grateful bastard, aren’t you,” he says. “He helped get you out of that ship before you drowned down there, you know.” 

< The _Yeerk_ did not save me, > the Andalite snaps. 

“Why, because you wouldn’t know how to handle it if he had?” Lee snipes back at him. Zuko is not reassured that he won’t get himself hurt. 

“Lee,” he says, and Lee immediately looks at him again. “Don’t get injured again.” 

“I’m fine,” Lee says. “Not the first time I got stabbed by a tail blade. And Lu Ten’s nothing compared to Ozai Three.” 

“Ozai Three _stabbed_ you?” the youngest female asks, looking impressed. “Sick.” 

“You should probably morph,” the brother’s mate says, looking at his side. “I know Lu Ten pulled his strike, but I think you’re bleeding again.” 

< I should not have, apparently, > the Andalite says darkly. 

“Had worse,” Lee says dismissively. There is, Zuko notes, definitely blood on his shirt. 

“She isn’t wrong,” Zuko says, and Lee makes a face at him. 

“Fine,” he says. “But you first. You need Kandrona rays.” 

“And you need stitches,” Zuko says dryly, but he finishes undressing and steps into the pool. The sludgy water feels different on human skin than it does on a Yeerk’s; almost repulsive, somehow. He tries to concentrate, but morphing alone is much more difficult than morphing with Lee, so it takes a moment before he slowly starts to shrink. He looks at his hands as they turn a greenish gray color, feeling very strange indeed. This is the first time he’s _consciously_ morphed his own body, and the process just feels . . . different. Always before there was a sense of distance there; always before there was Lee to help him focus on the thing he was turning them into. 

< Gross, > the brother says matter-of-factly. 

“Yeah, I’m glad I’m not wearing anybody’s eyes right now,” the youngest female says. Zuko might say something about how it isn’t any more attractive when any of _them_ morph, but his throat is changing and he doesn’t know if he can speak anymore. He could probably still use thought-speak, he supposes—this is a morph, after all—but it’s not really worth it to try. 

“Shut up,” Lee says, stepping up next to the pool to grip the side of it. Zuko looks at him for a moment, but only a moment; it’s not helping him concentrate on _not_ looking like him. 

He shrinks smaller, and his human eyes and limbs melt away as he sinks into the pool and below the surface of the water, feeling an immediate relief at the familiar presence of the Kandrona. It’s a little painful as his body adjusts from withering and starving to glutting itself on Kandrona rays, but if that’s the price of surviving, well, he’ll pay it. 

He settles back into himself and floats in the water for a long moment, gathering his strength again, and then begins to swim a slow circle around the pool. It’s strange, being in an empty pool. Zuko’s been alone very few times in his life, and the normal pool is always teeming with other Yeerks swimming and talking and taking up space. He isn’t sure how he feels right now, blind and alone in the silence. 

Strange, definitely. He definitely feels strange. 

He does a second lap of the pool, a little more soothed now with the pain mostly gone, and something breaks the surface of the water in front of him. He recoils for a second before his echolocation recognizes the shape as a human hand. He pauses, but the hand does nothing, just hangs in the water. He circles it once before touching it warily, and it moves, fingers grazing his back and then stroking across it. 

Oh, he realizes. It’s Lee’s hand. 

Of course. 

A little bit of tension and worry that he hadn’t quite realized he was feeling fades away, and he rubs against Lee’s knuckles. It’s the first time he’s ever touched anyone but another Yeerk in any way but to infest them, which is . . . a thought, certainly. 

He drifts away from Lee’s hand and resumes swimming around the pool. Lee leaves his hand in the water, and the reminder of his presence remains soothing. Zuko isn’t alone in here. He can’t talk to anyone or see anything outside the pool and he doesn’t know what the Andalite and the humans are doing, but Lee, at least, is right here. It’s a relief, and one he’s glad for. 

He’s never eaten so quickly in his _life_ , probably, but he’d like to meet the person who wouldn’t. As soon as he’s done, he heads over to Lee’s hand, and a moment later the other’s head ducks into the water. It’s another relief to crawl back inside him, and a moment later he’s straightening up and raking their wet hair back out of their face, surrounded by humans and an Andalite but exactly where he belongs all the same. 

< Hey, Zuko. Welcome back, > Lee says, and Zuko finally feels settled again. 

< Hello, Lee, > he says, relaxing into their body. < I missed you. >

< Yeah. Me too. >

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr!](http://suzukiblu.tumblr.com/)


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